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Darkest Hour (film)

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Darkest Hour (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025
Darkest Hour
Company typeFilm
IndustryFilm industry
Founded2017
FounderJoe Wright (director), Anthony McCarten (writer)
ProductsBiographical war drama film

Darkest Hour is a 2017 British biographical war drama helmed by director Joe Wright and penned by Anthony McCarten. The film features Gary Oldman portraying Winston Churchill during his initial period as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid the turmoil of the Second World War and the May 1940 war cabinet crisis. The ensemble cast includes Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill, Lily James playing Elizabeth Layton, Stephen Dillane as Viscount Halifax, Ronald Pickup portraying Neville Chamberlain, and Ben Mendelsohn in the role of King George VI. The title reflects Churchill’s own characterization of the early phase of the conflict.

The movie debuted at the 44th Telluride Film Festival on 1 September 2017. It saw a limited release in the United States on 22 November 2017, followed by a wide release on 22 December, and later premiered in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2018. Produced with a $30 million budget, Darkest Hour achieved a global box office total of $150 million. Critics widely acclaimed Oldman’s performance, often ranking it among his finest.

The film garnered numerous awards, notably Best Actor honors for Oldman at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Plot

In May 1940, the opposition Labour Party called for British prime minister Neville Chamberlain to step down, accusing him of weakness in confronting the Nazi threat. While members of the Conservative Party preferred Lord Halifax as Chamberlain’s replacement, Halifax declined the position. Consequently, Chamberlain appointed Winston Churchill, whose prior warnings about Adolf Hitler had largely been dismissed, to lead a new national government.

As German forces advanced into the Low Countries, Churchill’s forthright manner with his new secretary drew a reprimand from his wife, Clementine. Though initially doubtful due to Churchill’s history, King George VI reluctantly invited him to form a government, retaining Chamberlain as Lord President of the Council and Halifax as Foreign Secretary.

Parliament responded tepidly to Churchill's inaugural speech in which he pledged "Blood, toil, tears, and sweat". Both Chamberlain and Halifax opposed Churchill’s refusal to seek peace negotiations and planned to resign in order to trigger a no-confidence vote that could install Halifax as prime minister. Churchill met with French prime minister Paul Reynaud, who criticized Churchill’s denial of Allied setbacks during the Battle of France, while Churchill expressed frustration at France’s lack of offensive plans. US president Franklin Roosevelt showed sympathy but was limited by an isolationist Congress and the constraints of the Neutrality Acts.

Churchill faced backlash over a misleading radio broadcast implying Allied advances in France, which drew disapproval from King George VI. Meanwhile, Halifax and Chamberlain sought to use Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Bastianini as an intermediary for talks with Germany.

With the British Expeditionary Force trapped at Dunkirk and Calais, Britain braced itself for a possible German invasion (Operation Sea Lion). Defying War Cabinet advice, Churchill ordered Brigadier Nicholson’s 30th Infantry Brigade stationed at Calais to delay enemy forces to aid in evacuating Dunkirk. Following France’s collapse, the War Cabinet supported peace negotiations; under pressure, Churchill reluctantly consented but found it difficult to compose a letter requesting talks.

Unexpectedly, King George VI endorsed Churchill’s determination to continue fighting. Churchill initiated civilian boat evacuations (Operation Dynamo) and gauged public morale by traveling on the London Underground, where passengers expressed firm resolve to persevere. He encountered similar determination among members of Parliament.

Prior to Churchill’s pivotal speech to Parliament, Halifax urged Chamberlain to proceed with their resignation plan; however, Chamberlain hesitated. Churchill’s address—featuring the iconic promise "we shall fight on the beaches,"—secured overwhelming support from opposition members and eventually won over Conservative MPs. He departed amid cheers and enthusiastic waving of parliamentary papers (Order Papers).

An epilogue reveals that most troops at Dunkirk were successfully evacuated; Chamberlain passed away six months later; Halifax was reassigned as ambassador to Washington, D.C.; and Churchill was voted out following the conclusion of the war in Europe.

Cast

David Strathairn provides the voice of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, heard during a telephone conversation with Churchill.

This film marked the final screen appearance for Whitrow, who passed away following its premiere in September.

Development and casting

On 5 February 2015, it was revealed that Darkest Hour, a spec screenplay by The Theory of Everything writer Anthony McCarten, had been acquired by Working Title Films. The script centers on Winston Churchill’s leadership during the onset of the Second World War.

By March 2016, discussions began with director Joe Wright, and in April, Gary Oldman entered talks to embody Churchill. Focus Features announced on 6 September 2016 that the film’s US release would be set for 24 November 2017. Alongside Oldman, Ben Mendelsohn was cast as King George VI and Kristin Scott Thomas as Clementine Churchill. Stephen Dillane joined the ensemble in November.

Originally, John Hurt was cast to portray Neville Chamberlain but withdrew due to treatment for pancreatic cancer; he passed away in January 2017. Ronald Pickup subsequently assumed the role.

Filming

Principal photography for Darkest Hour commenced by November 2016, with music composed by Dario Marianelli. Gary Oldman dedicated over 200 hours to make-up application and smoked upwards of 400 cigars for authenticity, incurring costs near $20,000. Filming locations included Manchester’s Town Hall and John Rylands Library, both standing in for the Houses of Parliament.

The exterior shots of Churchill’s actual country residence, Chartwell House near Westerham in Kent, were used for a scene depicting his secretary receiving a telegram from Buckingham Palace. Kent’s Fort Amherst doubled as Admiral Ramsay’s command center and represented the Calais garrison. Scenes set inside Buckingham Palace were filmed at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire.

Additional sequences were shot at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, including the scene where Churchill boards the London Underground. A 1959 stock train was rented from Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex for this purpose.

Box office

Darkest Hour accumulated $56.5 million domestically in the United States and Canada, with an additional $93.8 million from international markets, including $33.4 million earned in the United Kingdom, resulting in a global total of $150.2 million.

The film's limited release in the US and Canada began on 22 November 2017, where it garnered $246,761 across four theaters, averaging $61,690 per location and placing 21st at the box office for that weekend. Its expansion to a wide release occurred on 22 December 2017, competing alongside titles such as Downsizing, Pitch Perfect 3, and The Shape of Water. During this opening weekend, it made $3.9 million from 804 venues and reached $5.5 million over the extended Christmas four-day span. The audience composition skewed older, with 85% aged over 25 and 30% over 50. The subsequent weekend brought in another $5.5 million, contributing to a $7 million total over the New Year’s four-day frame. Following the announcement of six Academy Award nominations in late January 2018, the film experienced a boost, earning $2.1 million that weekend.

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Darkest Hour holds an approval rating of 84% based on 317 critiques, with an average rating of 7.3 out of 10; the site's summary notes: "Gary Oldman's riveting portrayal anchors Darkest Hour, breathing life into Winston Churchill even when the storyline falters." Meanwhile, Metacritic assigns the film a score of 75 out of 100 based on evaluations from 50 critics. Audience feedback collected by PostTrak indicated that over 90% rated it as "excellent" or "very good."

Gary Oldman’s performance received widespread praise, with numerous reviewers considering him a leading contender for the Academy Award for Best Actor, which he ultimately secured. Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers described the film as a "vibrant, thought-provoking historical drama" driven primarily by Oldman’s portrayal. David Ehrlich of IndieWire commended director Joe Wright and the film’s score, calling it a "boldly unsubtle tribute to the power of rhetoric." Damon Wise from Radio Times regarded it as an almost flawless complement to Dunkirk, highlighting Wright’s direction and Oldman’s remarkable embodiment despite certain contrived Hollywood elements.

Conversely, some critics expressed reservations. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com labeled the movie "an acting showcase burdened by heavy costumes and excessive lighting," criticizing its lack of originality and suggesting it primarily served as a vehicle for Oldman’s Oscar campaign. Stuart McGurk from GQ dismissed it as "a poor film" but acknowledged Oldman’s well-earned Best Actor accolade, praising his subtle performance that avoided caricature.

Home media

Darkest Hour became available on digital streaming services on 6 February 2018 and was subsequently released on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD Blu-ray on 12 June 2018.

Historical accuracy

Historian John Broich characterized Darkest Hour as "historical fiction," dramatizing Britain's choice to resist Hitler as a deliberate decision rather than an inevitability. Although Britain faced severe challenges in 1940, the film exaggerates certain elements such as intense cabinet confrontations over peace talks. Ashley Jackson disputes the suggestion that Churchill harbored doubts or considered negotiation options, emphasizing his unwavering confidence during this period. The portrayal of Churchill traveling on the London Underground is fictionalized, and many British citizens were not immediately galvanized by his speeches.

There is no definitive proof that Chamberlain and Viscount Halifax were planning a no-confidence motion against Churchill at that time; however, Churchill was viewed with suspicion by some Conservative colleagues. The Labour Party expressed readiness to participate in a national government under leadership other than Chamberlain’s, potentially Halifax’s.

Commentators like Adam Gopnik and Adrian Smith argue that the film minimizes Labour leader Clement Attlee’s vital anti-Nazi contributions in supporting Churchill, resulting in an overly Churchill-centric narrative. Afua Hirsch criticized the movie as propaganda that perpetuates a mythologized image of Churchill while neglecting Britain's imperial resources during the crisis.

The depiction suggesting Churchill’s 'beaches' speech was broadcast live via radio to his wife and King is inaccurate; radio transmissions from Parliament did not commence until the 1970s, and this speech was first delivered on 4 June 1940 after Dunkirk had concluded. Additionally, Elizabeth Layton’s tenure as Churchill’s secretary is misrepresented by one year in the film, and her brother’s death during Dunkirk is fictionalized.

Potential continuation

In February 2018, Gary Oldman revealed that talks were underway regarding a possible follow-up to Darkest Hour, which might center on Franklin D. Roosevelt and the events surrounding the 1945 Yalta Conference.

External links

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